PHILADELPHIA — Cindy Christian, a faculty co-director at the University of Pennsylvania Field Center for Children’s Policy Practice & Research, has been named to a new 11-member Task Force on Child Protection.  The appointment was made by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett.

Christian is a professor of pediatrics at Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine and holds an endowed chair in child abuse prevention at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.  She is chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Child Abuse and Neglect Committee and was appointed by Mayor Michael Nutter as the Philadelphia Department of Human Services’ first medical doctor.

 “Cindy Christian will serve a key role on this task force, driving the future of child protection in Pennsylvania and potentially serving as a national model,” Debra Schilling Wolfe, the executive director of the Field Center, said.  “We are honored to have the Field Center represented on this very important commission and will support Dr. Christian’s contributions to the task force with research and policy work.”

The task force will review and analyze the laws, practices, processes and procedures relating to the response to and reporting of child abuse; hold public hearings; accept and review written comments from individuals and organizations; submit reports which will include recommendations to improve the reporting of child abuse; implement any changes to state laws and practices, policies and procedures relating to child abuse; and train appropriate individuals in the reporting of child abuse.

The task force’s final report is due by Nov. 30.